CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s highest body of judges slammed on Saturday a recent decision by the president to grant himself near-absolute power, calling the move an ‘‘unprecedented assault’’ on the judiciary.

The statement from the Supreme Judicial Council came as hundreds protested outside a downtown courthouse against Thursday’s declaration by President Mohammed Morsi. The president’s decision means that courts cannot overrule his decrees until a new constitution and parliament is in place, several months if not more in the future.